Samantha Arsenault Livingstone — Olympic Gold Medalist, Swim Coach, High-Performance Consultant, and Mental Health Advocate on Her Journey from World-Class Athlete to Whole Athlete Coach

It’s episode 4 of Sideline Sessions and I’m honored to have my fourth great guest. Samantha Arsenault Livingstone is an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, high-performance consultant, speaker and mental health activist. She also co-captained the 2005 National Champion University of Georgia swim team. Samantha spent time as a high school science teacher and swim coach, and in 2016, she founded Livingstone High Performance (LHP) and the Whole Athlete Initiative (the WAI) in response to the mental health crisis impacting young people across the globe. LHP provides pillars of support to organizations, teams, and individuals to elevate mental health and improve performance - disrupting the old-school model of mental toughness as the path to high achievement. We discussed Samantha’s positive and negative experiences with coaching beginning at a young age — including how it contributed to her complicated feelings toward the sport for many years after earning Olympic gold — as well as mental fitness for coaches and athletes, and much more: When Samantha got interested in coaching Her personal definition of what it means to be a coach The challenges of coaching a sport at which she was a world-class athlete The WHOLE Athlete Initiative and what motivated her to start it The pillars of the Initiative and what they’re built around Vulnerability in coaching Subscribe to Sideline Sessions to hear the rest of our fall-winter season. We’ll continue to bring you insights from diverse coaches across the sporting landscape. Subscribe here: https://sidelinesessions.transistor.fm/subscribe About today’s guest Samantha Arsenault Livingstone is an Olympic gold medalist, high-performance consultant, speaker and mental health activist. At home in the classroom, Samantha spent six years teaching high school science and coaching swimming. After a near-death experience with her then 12-month-old daughter, Samantha knew it was time to pay forward all she'd learned about achievement, emotional agility, rising through hard things and finding fulfillment in the striving. In 2016, Samantha founded Livingstone High Performance and the Whole Athlete Initiative (the WAI) in response to the mental health crisis impacting young people across the globe. LHP provides pillars of support to organizations, teams, and individuals to elevate mental health and improve performance - disrupting the old-school model of mental toughness as the path to high achievement. Samantha holds a master's in education and is a certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid and facilitator of Mindful Sports Performance Enhancement. She resides in Berkshire County, Massachusetts with her husband and four daughters. Learn more about Samantha: www.samanthalivingstone.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarsenaultlivingstone Twitter: @SamanthaAL4 Instagram: @slivingstn About the host Ross Romano is co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and also hosts The Authority Podcast. He began his career in the pro sports industry before becoming a leading communications, marketing, and management expert working with education companies. He is founder and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. He also works directly with professionals at all levels, in all industries, coaching them in their pursuit of success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn. Listen to The Authority: https://authoritypodcast.net. Are you a professional looking for insights to reach the next level, find a fulfilling new career, or achieve peak performance? You may be a candidate for performance coaching. Schedule an introductory chat here.